On Phoenix Wings
by Elaine no Miko
Summary: A chaotic evil is rising in the world, and only the destined seven will be able to fight it...
1. Default Chapter

On Pheonix Wings  
Prelude: An Ancient Myth  
A Street Fighter fanfiction  
By Elaine Chow  
All characters are a trademark of Capcom  
  
*~*~  
  
Once, a very long time ago, there was nothing but   
chaos. And of this chaos, there was born an egg. After a while,  
the egged hatched and then there was Pan Gu. And all was Good.   
Pan Gu seperated the heavens from the Earth, and when he died,   
his right eye became the sun and his left eye the moon. His breath   
became the wind, and his body the earth and sea. The sun saw that   
the Earth was good and seeked to warm it, and to bring light to it.   
  
But a voice from the heavens called out, "Little sun,   
little sun, what are you doing? Leave the world in darkness, for I   
wish it so,"  
  
"No," said the sun. "I will bring light and warmth to this   
world, and it will flourish."  
  
But the voice from the heavens called out, "Little sun,   
Little sun, do you not see how fruitless your efforts are? You can   
only bring light to one part of the world, and when you leave, the   
trees die and the seas freeze. Leave the world in darkness, for I   
wish it so,"  
  
"No," said the sun. "I will continue to try, I will grow   
bigger so that I can warm more of the world,"  
  
But the voice from the heavens called out, "Little Sun,   
Little sun, do grow bigger. And as you grow bigger, scorch the  
earth and all that is in it. Then all will become ash, for I wish it so,"  
  
The little sun began to despair. So his sister, the little   
moon came to him and said "Do not despair brother, for I will   
watch the darkened parts and I will make sure that the trees do not   
die, and the seas do not freeze,"  
  
And the two worked together and made the earth a   
beautiful place, with all sorts of life and wondeful things.  
  
And the voice from the heavens howled in anger and   
said "Little sun, little moon. You have defied me and have not left   
this world in darkness, so I must destroy what you have made   
myself. Move away."  
  
"No," cried the sun and the moon. "We will defend our   
land and the land of our father Pan Gu!"  
  
"So be it," and out of the heavens came a giant   
blackness called chaos. It was bigger than the sun and the moon,   
bigger than the world that they had made and it seeked to devour   
them all. But the sun and the moon fought bravely and without fear   
and the chaos was driven back. But the sun and moon were tired   
and came back wearing tattered clothes and the scars of the great   
battle.  
  
"Dearest sun, dearest moon, where have you been?"   
The children of the world cried.  
  
"We have been fighting back chaos and we are so   
tired," The sun and the moon replied.  
  
"Dearest sun, dearest moon, please do not leave us   
again, for while you left, the seas started to freeze and many of the   
trees died,"  
  
"But if it comes again, we will have to fight it once   
more," the sun and the moon replied.  
  
And their little brother, the wind said, "Then I will   
fashion creatures for you, and they will help you fight the chaos,"  
  
He took the fire of the sun and with the wind, molded it   
into three elegant pheonixes, and the sun saw how good they   
were, and he approved.  
  
He took the water of the moon and with the wind,   
molded it into three beautiful dragons, and the moon saw how good   
they were, and she approved.  
  
Then, from the earth, he took mud and molded it into   
the form of a raven and said "Little bird made from the earth, when   
danger comes, You will always be the first to know. And you will   
warn your brothers and sisters." And the raven nodded and all was   
good.  
  
And thechildren of the sun, and the children of the moon,   
and the little raven went and fought the chaos, and it was driven   
back and they were known as the seven. And they have defended   
the world from chaos ever since.  
  
*~*~  
  
He looked around at the ravages of war, the destruction of what   
used to be. He grimaced slightly and tightened the grip on his sword.   
Why oh why oh why had it chosen to attack in HIS lifetime. Why had it   
been HIS world of all worlds that could have been selected by it to   
devour? Why had it been HIS people that had had to face it? He hung   
his head, unsure of what else to do.  
  
"Is everything okay?" the woman next to him asked.  
  
"Does it look okay?" He gestured to the wasteland. It had   
once been a beautiful forest, filled with life and his people. "Why,   
Yamiko? Why'd it attack here? It used to be so wonderful..." A lump   
formed in his throat.  
  
"It's fate, I suppose...the Gods had fated us to fight this   
thing..." She sighed quietly and leaned on her staff, golden eyes   
blinking. "...at least we have won..."  
  
"But at what cost? My family is dead, the people of my   
village are all dead...My country is dead, look at it..." He brushed the   
long, dark bangs out of his eyes. "And can you truly say we have won?   
What will happen when he comes again?"  
  
"Then we will defeat him again," Yamiko said.  
  
"But this time we defeated him purely on luck..."  
  
"The Gods will make sure we are lucky again," a new   
voice replied. The man recognised it as Losse, the Raven.  
  
"Losse, you were always the optomist..." Yamiko said,   
ruffling the young woman's purplish hair.  
  
Losse smiled, it lacked it's usual brightness, but it was still   
a smile. "Rejoice dear brother for The Destroyer has been stopped.   
There is nothing more to fear,"  
  
"I suppose not...for now..."  
  
"Anyway, there's not much else we can do...Rui, Taki,   
Lan Yun have passed on..." Yamiko sighed.   
  
"And Biyo has mysteriously disappeared..." Losse added.  
  
"That makes three of the seven left," Yamiko finished.   
"Isn't it interesting how it always works in threes and sevens?"  
  
"Heh, I hope I'M not around if he comes again,"  
  
He glanced once more at the wasteland before him. "I   
couldn't agree more,"  
  
"Gods help us if we are..."  
  
In the distance, a raven cawed...it's harsh, sad voice filling   
the air... 


	2. Children

On Phoenix Wings  
Chapter I : Children  
A Street Fighter fanfiction By Elaine  
All trademarks are copyright of Capcom.  
  
*~Brazil*~  
There were many things in life that Sean didn't understand.   
Life had never been easy for him but the last hour had been incredibly...  
taxing... he had been running the whole time, his feet carrying him to a   
destination he wasn't sure about. He didn't know where he was going to   
or why he was going there, but whenever he stopped to catch his breath,   
the undeniable sense of urgency had forced him into starting again. His   
feet pounded across the dank, dirty tiles of the alley floors.   
  
He recognized the place. It was the bad part of town, the part   
the well-off would never allow their children to go. A place most people   
wouldn't go to either unless they were heavily armed, which Sean   
unfortunately wasn't. Several dilapidated buildings stood scrunched   
closely together like sick, dead trees, waiting for the next wind to topple   
them all over. He had spent his childhood in these parts. All he   
remembered about it now was the desire to leave as soon as possible.   
Wasn't it ironic that he was running through there now, probably heading   
for the center. The center of Brazil's version of Hell on Earth. How   
wonderful...  
  
It wasn't until the moon was at it's fullest and the whole city   
was shining with it's glow that Sean was able to stop. He leaned against   
the wall, breathing deeply, and tried to prepare himself for whatever was   
coming. Vaguely, he wondered how he could prepare for something he   
knew nothing about. He didn't have to ponder that for long. Before his   
eyes, shadows started to appear. At first he had thought the moon was   
playing tricks on him. But the shadows continued to materialize. Soon,   
the whole place was teeming with figures flitting about. They swirled   
themselves into definable shapes and danced into a strange circle.   
Watching them was mesmerizing. He found stopping himself from joining   
them was near impossible. Yet something stilled him every time he was   
about to. He supposed it was the same force that had brought him here.   
  
The dancing soon ended and a harsh, crackling voice started to   
chant in an indefinable language. Other voices joined in and the chant   
rose higher and higher into the night sky. The sound swirled around in the   
air and thickened, almost choking him... then the chant stopped, the   
ringing of it's sudden departure and slowly the moon turned a bloody   
dripping red. Warning bells went off in his head. Something wasn't right   
here... a few shadows materialised a few inches away from his hiding   
spot, holding a struggling figure bound and gagged. Sean squinted at it.   
  
They carried it to the middle of the circle, and unbound it.   
Sean could see the faint definitions of a girlish figure. It was hard to see   
now, the light was so red. He rubbed his eyes feverishly and opened   
them just in time to see the knife poised above her. The force that had   
brought him here jumped into action. Before he could take another breath   
he had plunged into the mess of shadows, fighting his way to the center...   
the next moments were blurred.   
  
He could hear himself breaking bones and spilling blood but it   
didn't feel like him anymore. He was disconnected, listening on as the   
forces took over his body yet again. He heard his feet pounding once   
again on the gravel, a sob coming form something in his arms, the screams   
and howls of voices behind him.   
  
And then those faded away too and all was dark...   
  
*~Tokyo, Japan*~  
  
Sakura walked home, her frame slightly sagging under the   
weight of all the books in her backpack. College was tough, college was   
pain, college was evil. Repeating the three lines always seemed to get   
her to her dorm quicker, though why she ever wanted to get there was a   
mystery even to her. Nobody there understood her, all her room mates   
were interested in was studying and boys. Boys and books. Boys and   
books. All through her life, that's all the girls ever talked about.   
Boys and books. Never the glory of the fight, never the fluidity of   
the katas she had seen done, never the wonders of the qi. Nope, just   
boys and books. And makeup. She hated makeup. Almost as much as she   
hated college, and school and books and all that other stuff that made   
her days hell.   
  
It will change... it will change...   
  
Sakura spun around and was greeted by only a small gust  
of wind. "Who's there?"  
  
It will change... it will change... the wind seemed to   
whisper.  
  
She was starting to feel slightly frightened. She pulled her   
jacket closer around her shoulders.  
  
It will change... and you will wish it had all stayed the   
same...  
  
Sakura broke into a run.  
  
~*Canton, China~*  
  
Now that he thought of it, it probably wasn't fair. How could   
the child in front of him possibly compete with his skill? He was,   
after all, a champion, an experienced veteran while his opponent was a   
mere boy. He had faced so many challenges in his lifetime while this   
boy had faced...at most ten...ten unexperienced children, just like   
himself...it was all too easy. Too easy to bring down the winning blow.   
Too easy to watch the boy fall. Too easy to declare victory. All too   
easy. He stood in the middle of the ring, an old but incredibly   
powerful white haired man. Sometimes he wondered why he even   
bothered with this whole thing...there were so many other ways to earn   
money...to make a living. Perhaps it was to hopefully find someone   
worthy, after all...he had been defeated before. He smiled, it seemed   
strange how his defeats seemed to bring more joy than his victories.  
  
"That was great, Master Gen!" his enthusiastic grandchild   
cried, "When I grow up, I want to be as good as you are!"  
  
He ruffled the boy's hair affectionately before leaving. His   
grandson did not know how many years it had taken to get this skilled.   
He did not know how many trials, how many tribulations he had forged   
through in order to be what he was now. He needed some quiet time...He   
knew it had been too easy. Then why did he feel so tired? He wondered   
how old he was, perhaps it was his age that made him so weary. Perhaps   
it was. He held his hands up before him. They looked so weak, the   
wrinkled, blotched skin covering bony, frail hands. How many more   
years before they would act the way they looked. Another fifty?   
Another ten? Perhaps only another five? He heaved a sigh, it didn't   
matter. He had far outlived his lifespan anyways. He should have died,   
a long time ago.  
  
A long time ago. He closed his eyes as a sudden wave of   
memories flooded him. Perhaps, perhaps the fighting was an escape.   
One could not fight and remember at the same time, no matter how good   
they were. And there was so much he didn't want to remember. So much   
he would rather forget. It had taken him so many years to start a new   
life, to be able to push back all he had felt before. And he didn't   
want to remember any of it...  
  
The gentle cawing of the crow caught his attention.  
  
"It is time again," it said, in a slightly feminine voice.  
  
Gen stared. Maybe the boy had got a punch in, maybe he was   
hallucinating. After all, one usually only met talking crows in the   
deep carresses of gentle dreams.  
  
"Have you forgotten me already, Gen?" the crow asked.  
  
"No..." Gen couldn't stop the word from escaping his lips. His   
throat suddenly felt very, very dry. Talking crows only existed in his   
past life. The one he had struggled so hard to leave.   
  
"Good, our Lady calls...it would do well for you to answer   
her,"  
  
"No, it can't be..." he whispered. The Lady could not be   
calling. He had served his duty, he could be left alone.  
  
"You can not ignore her, no matter how much you try," The   
crow said. "Answer them, they need you once again,"  
  
"No..." it came out like a wail. He couldn't go. He had   
struggled so hard. He had tried so fiercely to forget..."Choose   
someone else! I have suffered for the lady enough, I have fought   
for them against the darkness and I-, I will not fight for them   
anymore-"  
  
"It is what you were born to do," The crow's voice sounded   
sad, as if it had not wanted to ask this from him. "Do you think you can   
shirk from your destiny?"  
  
"No," Gen sighed. He supposed he couldn't. He looked down   
at his withered hands, they were so old,"But I am so tired,"  
  
"You will only be more tired," the crow responded morosely. It   
turned one unblinking eye to face him and for a moment, the world stood  
still. "You know what to do..." it flew off. And all was normal again.  
  
Gen stared at it's retreating form and sighed."Yes, I do..."  
  
Sometimes in life, one feels he has lived too long and looks   
forward to dying. And usually, those people are the ones that are forced to   
stay alive. Life was never fair...  
  
*~*~  
Sean woke up from the horrible nightmare. He had dreamed   
that he had been running through the night, trying to escape hordes of   
monstrous shadows. He gulped down a lump in his throat as he recalled   
the vivid images...the blood red moon... the silhouetted dance... the   
sacrificial girl.  
  
"Oh good, you're awake," Someone next to him said.  
  
Sean turned his head and nearly choked. A woman, dressed in   
purple scarves and a girl wearing a bloody smock sat cross legged next to   
his half prone form. The moon, the dance, the girl... the girl was sitting   
right next to him...  
  
"I'd like to thank you, you stopped something very disastrous   
from happening last night..." The scarved woman smiled down at him.   
  
The skin on the back of his neck tingled. The moon...the   
dance...the girl...the shadows... the sacrifice...   
  
"And because of you, Tara here has been saved..."   
  
The girl in the bloody smock blushed and hid her head. He   
blinked his eyes in confusion. Why? Flashbacks of running through the   
streets wondering where he was going suddenly returned to him. What?   
He cleared his throat and tried to say something. "ur...ug..." Uck.   
  
"I would suggest you don't try to speak. You have been   
exhausted by the nights events...that is partly my fault, I suppose. I should   
have given you more of a warning before I threw you into that kind of  
situation..."  
  
"Lady," The girl whispered. It was the first word he had   
heard her say. "I believe he is...confused... perhaps you should explain   
about..." she pointed to herself and then gestured around the room. He   
stole a glance to where she was gesturing. He couldn't see anything   
special...  
  
The woman nodded. "Have you heard of the Seven?"  
  
He shook his head apprehensively. No.  
  
"It's...it was a mythological group of people sworn to protect   
the world," She waited to see if he had anything to say. He didn't. "...Three   
of the Seven were the children of the sun, chosen to destroy the enemy.   
Three were the children of the moon, chosen to purify the land..."  
  
Sean thought that through in his mind. Three from the sun...   
three from the moon...that made...  
  
"The seventh was the messenger," She gestured to herself. "The   
child of the Earth,"  
  
"Every five hundred years, there is a flux of power. Chao's  
portal opens onto the world... And the seven are called to push him back  
before he can destroy everything," The girl sighed. "We were able to delay  
his entering last night. I was supposed to be the starting sacrifice, the first  
tear in the portal..."  
  
"ug?" Sean cleared his throat a couple of times. "Who wants to  
open...*cough*...portals...?"  
  
The woman stared at the floor for a moment before answering.   
"Chaos promises, and delivers, a lot of power into his follower's hands.   
Many find that power to much to resist. Others go there to escape from   
pain, to exact revenge or..." She seemed unable to continue.  
  
"Whatever the reason, many are on the side of the dark and will   
willingly open the gates for him to pass through," Tara inerjected smoothly.   
  
Sean nodded, that made sense. He lay back against the sheets.   
Then something occured to him. "What does all of... this...have to do with...  
me?"  
  
The woman took one of his hands in her own. She had   
incredibly smooth fingers. "You are one of the seven, a child of the moon,"  
  
Huh? Him? NO way! Sean stared at the woman increduously.  
  
"I could show you...I could show you the Ancient one, the last   
original child of the moon," She replied in answer to his doubts. "If I was  
wrong, you will be transported back here immediately,"  
  
"Er..." Ancient one? Original child? One of the Seven? The  
information was coming way too fast for him to think. He was a child of the  
moon. Someone else used to be the child of the moon, that meant... "Who's  
she?" He asked, pointing to the girl named Tara.  
  
Tara blushed again. "I'm just one of the priestesses of the sun, I  
...I am of no importance, except as "their" sacrificial lamb..."  
  
The woman in purple smiled slightly. "We have come here to   
take you back with us. You are one of the Seven, and we need you now  
more than ever,"  
  
"Now...hold on a second, lady... I don't think I want to go with  
you just yet..." Sean replied. "I just got through one really rough night and  
now you're pushing all this mystical stuff on me... What can I gain by going  
with you?"   
  
"Ah, but what can you lose? There is nothing for you here..." she   
sweeped her arms across the barren room. "If you are still not convinced   
when you see...what needs to be seen, then I will take you back here and   
you will be as you used to be," She walked to the door, "I suppose You   
don't have to decide right now, we will be back later..."  
  
A moment of indecision. A fraction of a second. And the boy   
who's name was Sean ran after her. Only later would he find out how close   
the Dark had been at that moment. How if he had slept in his own bed, in   
that small room of his, he would not have been able to wake up. Whether to   
wait or whether to go. It seems like such a small small thing. Yet, it is those  
choices that make up our lives, that channel the flow of our destinies.  
  
  



End file.
